Dear VTel Customer,

This is an update about Hurricane Irene repairs. Some 90% of VTel voice, Internet, and data services should be restored by midnight tonight. Our target for 100% is midnight tomorrow.

Sunday was the worst flooding any of our employees recall every seeing – and some have been with us 40 years. Governor Shumlin said in a New York Times story today “We prepared for the worst, and hoped for the best, and unfortunately got delivered the worst.”

VTel emergency crews, in some cases last night, were isolated by flooding, unable to access broken fiber under flooded roads, but also prevented by police and fire emergency personnel from fording streams to reach other areas. Our redundant fiber rings were cut on both the western and eastern sides of Vermont, and also en route to Boston, and also west-to-east connecting Springfield to Wallingford, and also north-to-south connecting Springfield to Hartland, Chester to Grafton, and Wallingford to Killington. In cases where our fiber is (or was) on bridges that washed away, or under roads that eroded, the repairs require coordination. By far the most-isolated of our service area is Killington, where our fiber ring follows Route 4 and Route 100, and both roads washed out. Below is a photo of Route 4 in Mendon from Central Vermont Public Service, via Associated Press.

Even a catastrophe can sometimes have a silver lining. We now see an opportunity to more tightly integrate wireless microwave into our fiber network, so that fiber cuts will not cause this again. Furthermore, we are grateful Hurricane Irene visited weeks before our $116 million state-of-the-art upgrade, instead of weeks after.

Thanks to all who took time to call. Almost everyone was very tolerant and gracious, and I wish we had better repair news. One caller even took time to explain to my wife how to fix our water well. Once again, VTel repair (800) 279-4049, my office (802) 885-7000, my home (802) 885-6244, my cell (914) 572-7664, or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Alternatively please call VTel's president, Justin Robinson, office (802) 885-7708, cell (802) 289-2108, or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Michel Guite